back.
Youre dreaming.
And youre lying. To me and to yourself.
I never lie to myself. She looked into his eyes, not in the least intimidated by his size or anger. And I never lied to you.
His gaze narrowed. You purposely hid the truth, which is the same damn thing.
Oh, thats rich. A morality lesson from you. Tell me, Mick, do all the women you sleep with know about each other?
I dont lie to women.
No, you just bring mousetraps thinking that will get you into their pants.
That isnt the reason I brought you the trap.
Now whos lying? She pointed toward the door. Its time for you to leave.
He didnt budge. You cant do this, Maddie. You cant write about my family.
Yes, I can, and Im going to. She didnt wait for him but walked to the door and opened it.
Why? Ive read all about you, he said as he moved toward her, his boot heels an angry thud across the hardwood. You write about serial killers. My mother wasnt a serial killer. She was a housewife whod had enough of a cheating husband. She flipped out and killed him and herself. Theres no big villain here. No sick bastards like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. What happened to my mother and father is hardly the sensational sort of stuff that people want to read about.
I think Im a little more qualified to determine that than you.
He stopped on the threshold and turned to face her. My mother was just a sad woman who snapped one night and left her children orphaned, victims of her mental illness.
All this talk of you and your family, you seem to forget there was another innocent victim.
That little waitress was hardly innocent.
Actually, shed been talking about herself. So youre like everyone else in this town and think Alice Jones got what she deserved.
No one got what they deserved, but she was screwing around with a married man.
Now. Now she was truly good and angry. So your mother was perfectly justified in shooting her in the face.
His head jerked back as if shed slapped him. Obviously he hadnt seen the photos or read the report.
And your father may have been a cheater, but did he deserve to be shot three times and bleed to death on a barroom floor while your mother watched?
His voice rose for the first time. Youre full of shit. She wouldnt have watched my father die.
If he hadnt told her she was full of shit, she would have spared him, no matter her own anger. Her bloody footprints were all over the bar. And she didnt get up and walk around after she shot herself.
His mouth clamped shut.
Alice Jones had a child too. Did she deserve to lose her mother? Did she deserve to be made an orphan? Maddie placed her hand in the center of his chest and pushed. So dont tell me that your mother was just some sad housewife whod been pushed too far. She had other options. Lots of other options that didnt involve murder. He took a step back out onto her porch. And dont come here and think you can tell me what to do. I really dont give a damn if you like it or not. Im going to write the book. She tried to shut the door, but his arm shot out and kept it open.
You do that. With his free hand, he took his sunglasses from the top of his head and slid them in place, covering the anger in his blue eyes. But you stay away from me, he said and dropped his hand from the door. And you stay the hell away from my family.
Maddie slammed the door and pushed her hair from her face. Damn. That hadnt gone well. Hed been angry. Shed gotten angry. Heck, she was still angry.
She heard him start his truck, and out of habit, she locked her front door. She didnt need him or his family in order to write the book, but realistically, itd be nice if she had their cooperation. Especially since she needed to get into the lives of Loch and Rose.
Well, that sucked, she said and walked into the living room. She would have to write the book without their input. Her mothers photograph sat on the coffee table. Shed been so young and filled with so many dreams. Maddie picked up the photo and touched the glass
Youre dreaming.
And youre lying. To me and to yourself.
I never lie to myself. She looked into his eyes, not in the least intimidated by his size or anger. And I never lied to you.
His gaze narrowed. You purposely hid the truth, which is the same damn thing.
Oh, thats rich. A morality lesson from you. Tell me, Mick, do all the women you sleep with know about each other?
I dont lie to women.
No, you just bring mousetraps thinking that will get you into their pants.
That isnt the reason I brought you the trap.
Now whos lying? She pointed toward the door. Its time for you to leave.
He didnt budge. You cant do this, Maddie. You cant write about my family.
Yes, I can, and Im going to. She didnt wait for him but walked to the door and opened it.
Why? Ive read all about you, he said as he moved toward her, his boot heels an angry thud across the hardwood. You write about serial killers. My mother wasnt a serial killer. She was a housewife whod had enough of a cheating husband. She flipped out and killed him and herself. Theres no big villain here. No sick bastards like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. What happened to my mother and father is hardly the sensational sort of stuff that people want to read about.
I think Im a little more qualified to determine that than you.
He stopped on the threshold and turned to face her. My mother was just a sad woman who snapped one night and left her children orphaned, victims of her mental illness.
All this talk of you and your family, you seem to forget there was another innocent victim.
That little waitress was hardly innocent.
Actually, shed been talking about herself. So youre like everyone else in this town and think Alice Jones got what she deserved.
No one got what they deserved, but she was screwing around with a married man.
Now. Now she was truly good and angry. So your mother was perfectly justified in shooting her in the face.
His head jerked back as if shed slapped him. Obviously he hadnt seen the photos or read the report.
And your father may have been a cheater, but did he deserve to be shot three times and bleed to death on a barroom floor while your mother watched?
His voice rose for the first time. Youre full of shit. She wouldnt have watched my father die.
If he hadnt told her she was full of shit, she would have spared him, no matter her own anger. Her bloody footprints were all over the bar. And she didnt get up and walk around after she shot herself.
His mouth clamped shut.
Alice Jones had a child too. Did she deserve to lose her mother? Did she deserve to be made an orphan? Maddie placed her hand in the center of his chest and pushed. So dont tell me that your mother was just some sad housewife whod been pushed too far. She had other options. Lots of other options that didnt involve murder. He took a step back out onto her porch. And dont come here and think you can tell me what to do. I really dont give a damn if you like it or not. Im going to write the book. She tried to shut the door, but his arm shot out and kept it open.
You do that. With his free hand, he took his sunglasses from the top of his head and slid them in place, covering the anger in his blue eyes. But you stay away from me, he said and dropped his hand from the door. And you stay the hell away from my family.
Maddie slammed the door and pushed her hair from her face. Damn. That hadnt gone well. Hed been angry. Shed gotten angry. Heck, she was still angry.
She heard him start his truck, and out of habit, she locked her front door. She didnt need him or his family in order to write the book, but realistically, itd be nice if she had their cooperation. Especially since she needed to get into the lives of Loch and Rose.
Well, that sucked, she said and walked into the living room. She would have to write the book without their input. Her mothers photograph sat on the coffee table. Shed been so young and filled with so many dreams. Maddie picked up the photo and touched the glass
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